The capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, hosted a special session of the World Economic Forum on April 28 and 29. The theme of this year’s event was “Global Cooperation, Growth and Energy for Development”. However, it was not the economic component of the event that attracted the attention of observers. Negotiations on the situation in the Gaza Strip were held on the sidelines of the forum…

In January 2024, President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan announced the establishment of the Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Technology Council (AIATC), with a mandate to develop policies and strategies for AI research and related investments. National Security Advisor Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan has been appointed chairman of the AIATC, while Crown Prince of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed has been appointed vice-chairman…

Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov visited the United Arab Emirates from January 4-6, 2024. During his visit, the representative of the Republic held meetings with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, as well as the representative of the UAE President for Affairs with Turkmenistan and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Dragon Oil. According to state websites, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov focused on the prospects of cooperation between the UAE and Turkmenistan in developing oil and gas resources, transport corridors, and green energy…

The new Emir of Kuwait, Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, was sworn in on 20 December 2023, following the death of his older brother Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on 16 December. Sheikh Nawaf was the sixteenth Emir and ruled for just three years from his accession to the throne in September 2020. The late monarch took the throne at the venerable age of 84. At that time, he was already suffering from serious heart disease and internal organ damage. Perhaps for this reason, Sheikh Nawaf’s reign was characterised by relative calm. The past emir was focused solely on avoiding…

“Putin’s visit to Saudi Arabia and the UAE at the center of global attention,” “Putin in Saudi Arabia and the UAE: the world is changing,” “Why did Putin visit the Gulf?”. These and other headlines reflect the reaction in the Middle East media space to the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to the two Persian Gulf countries on December 6 this year. The general tone of the ongoing responses is as follows: the sides are interested in expanding bilateral ties and mutual understanding on the situation in the region and other world problems, especially energy issues. The course of relations between these Gulf state…

Due to the obstruction by Western countries, the world leaders’ meeting on climate transition and other sustainable development goals (SDGs) at the UN General Assembly ended disappointingly. This adds another set of obstacles to be faced by the UN Conference of the Parties (COP28) to be held in the Dubai emirate in November. As it is known, the SDGs include combating climate change, eradicating hunger and fighting extreme poverty around the world. Almost everyone at the UNGA meeting, firstly the BRICS…

The BRICS meeting in Johannesburg on August 22–24 has sparked a lot of interest around the world, which is debating what beneficial outcomes will come from this crucial forum. The focus is on analyzing and considering the admission of new BRICS members, including such a prosperous state as the United Arab Emirates. Why such a strong organization as BRICS has focused on this relatively small state with a population of roughly 10 million and an area of 83.6 thousand km raises some question.  The UAE is one of the world’s top oil producers, and oil and gas production together…

On August 5–6, 2023, Jeddah hosted the second international meeting of advisers to heads of state and representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the Peace Formula. Saudi Arabia, which served as the event’s host, gathered delegates from 42 nations on the sidelines of its platform and secured the participation of China, which is considered Russia’s main partner in the Middle East. Despite the fact that the two days of consultations resulted in no breakthroughs, the Saudi media and community of experts universally hailed the meeting…

Termed Saudi’s “new oil” industry, tourism ranks very high on Riyadh’s Vision 2030 strategic plan for the country’s economic transformation away from reliance on oil as the major source of revenue. According to the plan, the Saudis aim to raise about US$46 billion annually from tourism by the end of this decade, i.e., by 2030. Saudi’s goal and China’s contribution to world tourism seem to have a perfect synergy. Before Covid, 155 million Chinese tourists spent US$250 billion world-wide. With Saudi Arabia looking to attract tourism, China becomes a natural partner…

Saudi Arabia has recently gained popularity with many countries wanting to improve their political and financial status, ranging from Tehran and Washington to London, Paris, and Tel Aviv. And they are all inspired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud’s incredibly effective policy, which is gaining fame and recognition by the day. His policy of ending years of antagonism with Iran, aided by China, has caused Western countries to be concerned about losing their position in the Persian Gulf region. If the Crown Prince offers to negotiate to the satisfaction of all interested parties, the US and NATO can offer nothing but war to other states, forgetting that this is the 21st century with its new peace-loving policy…

There is no doubt that today’s world is very different from what it was less than a decade ago, with the military conflict in Ukraine turning out to be a shock that has not only triggered changes in global geopolitics but also in geoeconomics most evident in the form of the way the global oil market is working and how the dynamics of this market have caused old geopolitical alignments to shift. The shift is also an opportunity for many smaller powers to change their tactics and use the scenario for maximum geopolitical gains, including enhancing their global profile from being junior players to becoming major players. One country that seems to perfectly fit…

The unconditional further strengthening of Saudi Arabia’s authority and influence in the Middle East in the recent period has significantly increased the general interest in developing relations with the kingdom. This is especially true of the “beacon of democracy,” the United States, and its closest ally in the Middle East, Israel. Ten years ago, in assessing Saudi Arabia’s international activities, many assumed that Riyadh preferred to give money to various elements in the region and entrust them with protecting its interests…